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Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Augustine Newsletter St. Augustine Beach, Florida

Reverend Tom Schmidt, Minister

February 2017

2487 A1A South, St. Augustine, FL 32080

3/4 miles south of State Road 312

Additional parking is available at St. Augustine Beach City Hall,

two blocks north of the Fellowship uufsamail@gmail.com http://www.uufsa.org/

Fellowship services are held Sundays at 10:30 a.m., September through June.

A program for youth is provided at 10:30 a.m.

Refreshments are served after the service so all may socialize.

Audio transcripts of most presentations are available online at

http://www.uufsa.org/2016-2017-sunday-services.html

Board of Trustees 2016 - 2017

President .................................. Robin Mahonen

Vice President ......................... Chuck Chambers

Secretary ........................................ Nana Royer

Treasurer ....................................... Dave Perkins

Trustee ............................................ Pat Maguire

Trustee .......................................... Megan Porter

Trustee ........................................... Charlie West

Trustee ............................................... Pat Willott

In This Issue From Your President ................................................ 2

From Your Minister .................................................. 3

Sunday Programs .................................................. 4-5

Coming Events ..................................................... 6-8

Announcements, Teams and Repeating Events .. 9-12

Calendar .................................................................. 11

Beyond Our Congregation ................................ 13-14

The Quest is published monthly from September through July.

Materials for the March issue are due by February 24.

Don Brandes, Editor e-mail: donaldbrandes@gmail.com

Thanks to Charlie West and Rosi Angeli for proofreading.

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From Your President

Namaste! "February wraps you in peaceful dreams of love and joy" - so says a little piece

of glass in my kitchen. Despite being the month of my birth, February has

always been a struggle for me. Living most of my life as a Northerner, this

month found me in the dregs of winter, and in the pits of despair as the cold and

ice hung on and on. Symbolically, winter has always been a time of turning

inward, a journey of self exploration and healing. As I discovered Earth centered

spirituality, I found that February 2nd is celebrated by the ancient Pagans as

"Imbolc", translated roughly as "in the belly". This holiday later became known

as Groundhog Day, and we still amusedly await his prognostications on our

future by watching this rodent's behavior as it crawls from its hole. Similarly,

winter sometimes has us holing up for the harsh times, but we remind ourselves that this is only temporary, that

soon we shall emerge from the darkness into the light once again. We ready ourselves to come up from our

wintry hiding places again. We keep the fire in our bellies alive, and we continue our struggles buoyed by our

faith in the return of the sun.

Our long awaited Mission and Vision Workshop on Saturday, February 4th, is a time for us to look inwardly as

a congregation, to examine our guts and our souls, and find what moves us as a spiritual family, and in which

direction we wish to go. Join us to be a part of this mutual journey.

In early March, we have our main fundraiser, the Service Auction. This is the event that powers us with the

funds to keep our doors open, and to continue as the voice of liberal religion in Northeastern Florida. We are a

strong group, with much given to our community. This is one of the events that makes it possible for us to

continue our important works in not only our beloved community, but in our larger community. Please support

this by offering a service, and by attending and bidding generously on the services offered by members of our

spiritual family.

More recently, I have come to be very concerned for those members of our community who have come out of

symbolic closets over the past few years, only to find they may have to retreat to those closets again as our

country's political situation becomes more and more divided. As a relative newcomer to UUFSA, I was

surprised to find that we are not an officially recognized "Welcoming Congregation". Our community needs a

safe place for our LGBTQ neighbors. To that end, I am forming a Welcoming Congregation team to obtain

"Welcoming Congregation" status from the UUA. The team currently consists of myself, Dean Hull, Sandy

Crane, and our minister, Rev. Tom Schmidt. This process will involve a probing exploration of our welcoming

procedures in every area of our functioning, and we need to integrate this welcoming philosophy into every area

of our community. We expect the process to take 12-18 months, and we need your commitment and dedication

to this process. Please contact me if you are interested in being part of this important effort.

So, until next month, hunker down, stay warm, but always keep your eyes on the light,

and strive to reach for it every day.

May you never thirst!

Robin Mahonen, President, UUFSA

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From Your Minister

As I write this, civilization still stands and life for most of us has moved forward

relatively unchanged by recent events. This isn’t to say everything is as it was,

because it is not. The contents of our days may be very much the same as they

were, but a great many of us no longer see it all in the same way. For a great many

people our perception of reality has forever shifted, and while we can’t go back, we

do have choices in our moving forward. What shall we do with this opportunity life

has put before us? How shall we respond to what life is asking of us?

On November 9, 2016, I posted on Facebook the times for the day’s sunrise and

sunset, high and low tides. A friend posted that she felt my attitude cavalier,

assuming I was saying that it was just another day. She pointed out that it was not

just another day for people of color, women, Muslims, or our Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex and Allies (LGBTQIA) friends because we had just elected a man

to lead this country who routinely denigrated these groups during the election. I told her that she had missed the

point of my post completely because I was being anything but cavalier of what had happened. I said, “I think

you may have missed my point. I did not mean to be dismissive of the results. Quite the opposite actually. It

means that hope did not die last night, hope is reborn everyday. That sun will come up again tomorrow and

everyday from now until long after we are gone. All I saw in my FB feed this morning was hopelessness and

despair, but outside my window I saw the sun coming up. I saw hope and opportunity. Grieve if you must, but

I'm moving forward, I'm going to find the pony at the bottom of this s#!t pile and ride it all across this country

spreading hope and a message of love. I'm going to do this one damn day at a time, and just as the tide comes in

so must it go out.”

This remains my attitude and will remain so no matter what the future brings. The truth of the matter is that the

pony amidst the pile of manure is already manifesting. I am encountering people all around the community in

search of meaningful community and working together for common cause. I am hearing people of all walks of

life committing or re-committing to the cause of building the Beloved Community, raising consciousness, and

working for social justice. In our own Fellowship, we are beginning the process of becoming an official

Welcoming Congregation to ensure the LGBTQIA in our community that they are safe here. Many of our

members participated in the “Unity in Community” march and rally on January 21 which was intended to bring

together people of all walks of life in support of a more welcoming and inclusive community. It was part of a

much larger movement that brought millions of people together to take a stand and reclaim the power of the

people. If this movement continues and grows, then I contend that the 2016 election was the best thing that ever

happened to this country. A healthy democracy, like religion, requires people be awake as possible to the reality

of our world.

In the meantime, we have our own important work to do

this month. Coming up shortly is our Mission and Vision

Workshop and everyone is needed to show up and make

your voices heard. The future of this Fellowship is in

your hands. How shall we respond to what life is asking

of us? Will we let our light shine to be a beacon of hope

and promise for everyone to see? Is the Fellowship here

to serve our needs or the needs of the world? These are

big questions and only you can decide where we go from

here.

Rev. Thomas Schmidt Phone: 432-559-2411

E-mail: uurev@icloud.com

Office Hours Tuesdays 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Wednesdays 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. By appointment anytime.

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Rev. Tom Schmidt Sunday, February 5, 10:30 a.m.

“The Gospel of Inclusion: Universalism in

America” Rev. Tom Schmidt

Service Leader – Ruth Weber

Generally when Unitarian Universalists talk about Universalism, we do so in the past tense. And while it

is true that the Universalist Church of America did consolidate with the Unitarians in 1961 to form our

modern religion, the much older and larger idea of Christian universalism did not go away. Let’s explore

what is going on in the Universalist movement and the role Unitarian Universalist Christians are playing

within it.

Sunday, February 12, 10:30 a.m.

“Supersized Exploitation and Old-Fashioned Fallacies:

Why Fast Food Workers Deserve Better Pay”

Dr. Jeffrey Nall Service Leader – Megan Porter

“This I Believe” by Pat Mcguire

How much do fast-food workers make? How much do they deserve? Does

someone without a college degree deserve more than minimum wage? How

do low-wages impact taxpayers? How does fast food pay impact women

and children? Dr. Nall will answer these questions along with others as he

explains that much of what is assumed about fast food workers is wrong.

Beyond assessing the often mistaken factual claims about workers, Nall

discusses the key ethical questions surrounding the debate. He also explains

how consumers, including not only conservatives but also progressives,

contribute to the dominant “common sense” that supports the exploitation of

workers in the retail and food service industries. Dr. Nall will argue that

workers in a variety of low-pay sectors – including fast-food, retail, and

adjunct teaching are entitled to higher wages despite commonplace

objections.

Jeffrey Nall, Ph.D. is a Master Instructor of Philosophy at Indian River State College where he teaches

courses in philosophy and humanities. He has taught philosophy and humanities courses at the

University of Central Florida and women and gender studies courses at Florida Atlantic University.

Before becoming a professor, Nall worked a variety of low-wage jobs, briefly cooking burgers for a

Wendy’s restaurant. When he is not teaching, writing or giving public talks, Nall spends his time caring

for his four children. For more info on Nall's work go to www.JeffreyNall.com

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Sunday, February 19, 10:30 a.m.

“Survival of the Fittest?” Rev. Tom Schmidt Service Leader – Nana Royer

Plate donation will go to the Food Pantry

In recognition of Charles Darwin’s birthday this month, we will look at Darwin’s theories in the context of his

time and how the theory has evolved and is being used as a model/metaphor for the development of nonphysical

aspects of human life (culture, religion, consciousness) over time and in a single lifetime.

Sunday, February 26, 10:30 a.m.

“Life Flows” Dr. Vinod Deshmukh

Service Leader – Megan Porter

Life flows anew like a timeless spring. One exciting idea in neuroscience is the

concept of embodiment and embeddedness of all living organisms in a shared

ecosystem. This perspective becomes the middle ground between the extreme

views of materialism and idealism. The brain is a part of the body, which is

embedded in an ecosystem. All information transfer does not necessarily occur in

the brain alone. The organism is not an isolated biophysical system. It is an open

interactive system.

Looking for the conscious mind and awareness in the brain alone is unproductive.

We need to expand our scope of enquiry and consider the brain, body, personal

environment, and the world as one holistic bio-psycho-social-existential system.

Each living organism is interacting with its environment by its action, perception

and cognition. All behavior including conscious mentation and intentionality emerge from a complex matrix of

life-energy-information. Information guides energy and the energy shapes matter.

Vinod D. Deshmukh, MD PhD, is a retired neurologist from Jacksonville, Florida. He was an Associate

Professor of Neurology at University of Florida. He also had his own private practice at the Flagler Hospital,

in St Augustine, Florida.

He has published over sixty scientific articles including a monograph on Brain Blood Flow. His recent articles

were on the Neuroscience of Meditation, the Multistream Self, Turiya, Prana-Dhyana, Vedic Psychology as a

Science of Wisdom, Secular Wisdom, and The Cognitive-Pause and Unload, the CPU hypothesis of Meditation

and Creativity. A chapter on “The Embodied Brain, Mind and Self” is in print at present. His latest book is

called “The Astonishing Brain and Holistic Consciousness: Neuroscience and Vedanta Perspectives.” It was

published in (2012) by Nova Science publishers of New York.

Poetry, photography and oil painting are his hobbies. He has published five books of his original poetry, essays

and photographs. His website: http://poetsmiles.com/ His email address: vinodsmind@gmail.com

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Mission and Vision Workshop

Saturday, February 4

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. What is at the core of UUFSA? What keeps us bound together and working toward the same goal of beloved

community? What are UUFSA's deepest Values that guide our Mission and help us to dream the Vision?

Participate in a day of deep questions and sharing to discern what lies at the core of our congregation. This is

the first step in the process of creating our new mission and vision statements. All are welcome and needed for

this process! We will gather at 9:00 a.m., work together in large and in small groups, have a little lunch, and

hope to be wrapped up by 3:00 p.m. Come with an open mind, sense of adventure, and your sense of humor.

See you there!

Great Decisions

Monday, February 6

7:00 p.m.

“The Future of Europe”

The outcome of the United Kingdom referendum

on EU membership sent shockwaves across the

globe. It even caught British voters by surprise!

The European Union has helped secure peace in

Europe for the past 70 years. Now it faces an

uncertain future. Amid a refugee crisis, lingering

financial recession and the constant specter of

terrorism, unity seems more imperative than ever.

But the Brexit vote underscores the complexities of

integrating an extremely diverse continent. What

will post-Brexit Europe look like, and how can

U.S. foreign policy adapt? The presentation and

discussion will be led by Vanessa Friedman.

Monday, March 6

7:00 p.m.

“Trade and Politics”

The U.S. political mood toward trade has gone

sour. One need look no further than the 2016

presidential contest for the popular narrative: trade

means that China wins, at America’s expense. But

do the numbers support that conclusion? The

metrics used to gauge economic strength—Gross

Domestic Product and balance of trade—have not

kept up with the realities of modern manufacturing.

Obtaining an accurate picture of U.S. economic

stature requires a critique of those numbers. Only

then can the U.S. develop appropriate policy

solutions for the challenges at hand. The

presentation and discussion will be led by Linda

Tokarz and Charley West.

Great Decisions discussions are open to the public.

For more information, contact Yosi at yosi@acrossthestraits.com or (904) 461 3175.

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Downstairs Dialogue “Socrates Café” – Open Discussion

Sunday, February 12, 9:15 - 10:15 a.m. Downstairs With all the fast-breaking developments going on in the world, we have plenty of issues to discuss. What’s

going on in religion, politics, economics, security, justice, etc. in the world, nation, state, local community, or

even within our own congregation that concerns YOU? Maybe we can come up with some ideas that could

make things better!

We will decide what topic(s) to discuss using the Socrates Café method. At the beginning of the session, each

attendee will suggest a topic, and we will “vote” on which one(s) to discuss. Discussion led by Charlie West.

So bring your favorite issue or question and come join us at 9:15am on Sunday, February 12, downstairs.

By the way, be sure and check out the notice of the new multisession adult learning course offered by Rev.

Tom, CONSCIOUSNESS PARADIGM, which begins on February 22. Sign up directly with him

(uurev@icloud.com).

Charlie West

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UUFSA Annual Service Auction

Saturday, March 4, 2017

During the 2017 Service Auction you will have the chance to bid on services that

members of our Fellowship provide. Save the date and plan to attend a live auction at the

Fellowship on Saturday, March 4, 2017.

Join us for free wine and snacks starting at 5:00 p.m. downstairs. Come and socialize

while you bid on silent auction items of jewelry, art work, gift baskets, etc.

The LIVE service auction begins at 6:30 p.m. upstairs in the sanctuary.

This fun-filled fundraising event is open to the public, so bring your friends and family!

We will auction off experiences and services that you want or need. Think of nature

outings, handyman help, instruction, computer help, babysitting etc.

How does this work? We are counting on YOU to donate a service that we can put up for

auction. And we want you to attend the auction and bid on a service offered by somebody

else! Instead of paying an outside service provider for something, consider bidding on

that same service offered by a fellow UU member. All proceeds will go to the

congregation’s general fund.

The annual service auction is the UUFSA’s main fundraising event. It promises to be a

fun evening so plan to come ready to bid!

If you want to donate a service, but cannot attend the auction, that’s OK. We will auction

off your donated service and take care of all the details.

For more information, contact:

Rosi Angeli (rosiangel6@gmail.com) or Chuck Chambers (johnchuck1@yahoo.com

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Programs for Children and Youth

Our new year got off to a wonderful start on January 8 with a Kid’s Yoga class

led by guest teacher Peter Gibbon. Our young people loved it! Thank-you Mr.

Peter!

Our children did a great job collecting food from members of the Fellowship

for the food pantry on January 15, and in their class, our older children

participated in a role-playing activity to encourage them to think about whom they would like to invite

to be a Guest at Their Table. On January 22, while older children played a game of animal charade, our

younger children expressed their creativity on their classroom’s wall.

Our goal for each Sunday is to provide our

children fun activities through which they can

develop a positive sense of self and practice the

values expressed in our UU Principles.

The small team currently organizing the

Program for Children and Youth has a couple of

requests. First, we are asking for the donation

of a functional, simple, point-and-shoot digital

camera to use in our classes. If you have such a

camera to donate please see Vanessa Friedman

or Barbara Battelle.

Our second request is more important. We need some of you! If you feel that children and young

families are vital to our beloved community, we invite you to become part of the team that coordinates

our children’s programs. We are not looking for people to teach on a regular basis, although we very

much need and welcome guest teachers. Rather we are looking for people interested in sharing some of

the simple and joyful weekly tasks of running our program and for people interested in thinking about

and planning the future of our Programs for Children and Youth. If you feel it is important for our

Fellowship to provide activities that nurture and foster the positive development of children while their

parents find a place of rest and renewal in our sanctuary, please contact Vanessa Friedman

(Vfriedman32084@yahoo.com) or Barbara Battelle (babattelle32137@yahoo.com).

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Sound Team The Sound team (Sound and Light) is always seeking volunteers to help with and to expand the benefits we

offer to our fellowship. We provide sound reinforcement during meetings and events, help with video

presentations during talks, and record and make Sunday talks available on our website.

This year we are looking at ways to make our services more accessible, possibly with open captioning or

transcriptions. However, improvements require volunteers, not all of which require sitting in the booth. If you

could assist with transcribing talks, have tech or video skills you could share, or fancy yourself an archivist,

please speak to me, Barbara Battelle or Dianne Battle. Of course, operating the sound during services remains

our primary function, and volunteers in that capacity are always welcome.

Jerome Fosaaen

Holiday Poinsettias

Thank you to all of the members who purchased a poinsettia to help decorate the Fellowship and their homes

this holiday season. The amount of $80 was raised and given to the UUFSA general fund.

Annette Jones

Food Pantry

During 2016, the St. Johns Ecumenical Ministries Food Pantry provided 3,439 families with

4,931 bags of food. This included 5,291 adults and 2,730 children. Thank you for your

generosity in making this possible.

Cherie Dolgin

UUFSA Food Pantry Coordinator

Dining With Dignity

Our next opportunity to provide a nourishing meal for the homeless will be

Sunday, February 5, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact a member

of the Dining with Dignity Team:

Mary Kellough, Nana Royer & Toni Wallace

Care Connection

Our Care Connection group provides short term support and assistance for

members of the Fellowship during times of difficulty. We thank everyone for their

generous support with transportation to medical appointments, making meals,

assistance with errands, visiting and sharing. The Care Connection includes

everyone in our Fellowship willing to receive and give support at times of

difficulty. Contact Elle Barry if you are in need of assistance or would like to be

involved in the Care Connection Team.

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Third Tuesday Book Group

February 21 Increase your E.Q. (Empathy Quotient) this year. Read more good books!

The book club selection for February is, The Little Red Chair, by Edna

O'Brien. Barbara Brenner will lead the discussion. Preview the book and

other upcoming fiction and non-fiction reads at www.uufsa.org/book-club-

reading-list.html The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month downstairs at 1:00 p.m. Contact

Barbara Brenner at barbbren25@gmail.com for more information.

FUUD Truck Game Night

We closed out the month of January with FUUD Truck Game Night featuring great food from African Love

Kitchen, an array of wines from southern Africa, and lots of games and good times. Congratulations to Robin

Mahonen, who won the fifty-fifty raffle, and thanks to everyone who came, ate, and played! Go to the UU

website at http://www.uufsa.org and click on the Archives menu and the Gallery link for game night photos and

a link to the event at Facebook.

Meditation Group February 7, 14, 21, & 28

The Meditation Group meets every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. downstairs

No experience necessary. Come sit with us.

Peter Gibbon

February Calendar

3 – Darts 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

4 – Mission and Vision Workshop 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

5 – Dining with Dignity 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

6 – Great Decisions 7:00 p.m.

7, 14, 21, & 28 – Meditation each Tuesday 3:00 p.m.

12 – Downstairs Dialogue 9:15 a.m.

13 – Board of Trustees meeting 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

10 – Food Pantry 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

17 – Darts 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

21 – Book Club 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

22 – First meeting of Consciousness Paradigm 7:00 p.m.

24 – Deadline for December Quest

24 – Food Pantry 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

24 – Movie: Hombre 6:30 p.m.

March 4 – Service Auction

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Palmer’s Pic

(movie)

February 24, 6:30 p.m.

The movie for February 24th is Hombre. A movie rated 100 percent by Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert 3½

stars. It stars Paul Newman (Hombre) as a man raised by Indians but an unexpected inheritance forces him join

the white man. It also stars Richard Boone at his most evil. Also Frederick March as the unscrupulous Indian

agent and Barbara Rush his Indian hating wife. They're all on a journey on a stage coach which will reveal their

real nature. This is taken from the best selling novel of Elmore Leonard.

Art Exhibit

Were you there for the opening of our UU Winter Art Exhibit?

It happened on Sunday January 8, downstairs in the fellowship hall after the service. Crowds gathered, sipping

their coffee and surrounding the wall of artworks. Each man, woman and child held their ballot. They looked

puzzled as they scratched their heads trying to choose their favorite artwork. It was tough to make a choice, but

that was what was asked by the Hanging Committee.

The goal was to involve the congregation in designating Peoples Choice Awards. Two works were sold and

each sale generates 20% of the sales price to the Fellowship.

Many thanks to the artists who participated in the winter show and to all the viewers who participated in making

the People’s Choice Awards

You can look forward to the next show titled the Spring Art Exhibit. Please consider submitting your artistic

entry.

The Art Exhibit Hanging Committee

Joyce Peterson, Annette Jones, Jill Cerulli and Lenny Gemski

Darts Nights

February 3 and 17, 7:00 p.m.

Darts nights are held at the Pub UU (Basement at the UU) at 7:00 p.m. on the first and

third Friday of each month and the fifth Friday if there is one. This month they will be

February 3 and 17. Contact Palmer Short, palshort@gmail.com, for details.

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Beyond Our Congregation

Regional and National Events

April 7-9, 2017, Spring Gatherings

These events will be held concurrently in each

Southern Region area:

Florida, UU Fellowship of Marion County,

Summerfield, FL

Mid-South, First UU Church of Nashville, TN

Southeast, Unitarian Church in Charleston, SC

Southwest, Bay Area UU Church, Houston, TX

The Southern Region UUA Presidential Candidates Forum will take place at the Southeast Gathering in

Charleston and will be video streamed to the other sites.

April 7-9, 2017, Florida UU Women's Retreat, Ellenton, FL. For more information, go to:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lcng1kppd2sf9b5/FL%20Women%27s%20Retreat%202017%20UPDATE

D.pdf?dl=0

June 21-25, General Assembly 2017, New Orleans, LA Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd, New Orleans, LA

http://www.uua.org/ga

For information about events beyond our Fellowship, check the UUA Southern Region

event calendar at: http://www.uuasouthernregion.org/home.html

and the UUA web site http://www.uua.org/

July 23-28, 2017, The Point, a Southern Region All-Ages Retreat, Hulbert, OK

August 6-11, 2017, Southern Unitarian Universalist Leadership Experience (SUULE), , Wirtz, VA

Other Events

UBarU Camp and Retreat Center, Kerrville, TX: For all events, visit http://www.ubaru.org for more information and to register

Feb. 17-19, Needle and Fabric Arts Retreat Two nights of cozy accommodations, five delicious meals and an opportunity to enjoy your passion in

community in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

March 31 – April 2, Men’s Retreat

April 28 – 30, Women’s Retreat Retreats provide an opportunity for rest, relaxation, community building, and communion with nature in a

beautiful hill country setting. Each retreat is led by a Unitarian Universalist minister who provides spiritual

direction for the weekend.

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Space for Peace

April 7 - 9

The US-Russian ABM Treaty banned missile defense systems because they were deemed destabilizing –

they gave one side an advantage that might make a nuclear war winnable. George W. Bush pulled the US

out of the ABM Treaty in 2001 and since that time the US “missile defense” program has been on steroids.

The US is currently encircling Russia and China with “missile defense” systems based on Navy Aegis

warships and ground-based launchers. These systems are the shield that would be used to pick off Russian

or Chinese retaliatory strikes after a Pentagon first-strike attack.

Come to Huntsville, Alabama, the heartland of the conservative South, on April 7-9 to attend the 25th

Annual Organizing Conference of The Global Network – (http://spaceforpeace.org/) titled “Pivot Towards

War: US Missile Defense and the Weaponization of Space” to learn more about the role of “missile

defense” systems and how they could be triggers to start WWIII.

Huntsville is home of Redstone Arsenal, the place where, after WWII, German rocket scientists were

brought to help establish the US space and weapons programs. It currently houses the Space Command

Directorate for missile defense. The controversial PAC-3, SM-3, and THAAD missile defense systems are

manufactured in Alabama.

For more information, contact Yosi (jomcintire@bellsouth.net).